The Beginning or the End
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| The Beginning or the End | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Norman Taurog |
| Produced by | Samuel Marx |
| Written by | Frank Wead |
| Starring | Brian Donlevy Hume Cronyn |
| Music by | Daniele Amfitheatrof |
| Cinematography | Ray June |
| Editing by | George Boemler |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | February 19, 1947 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Country |  U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Beginning or the End is a 1947 film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Brian Donlevy and Hume Cronyn. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
[edit] Plot
The film dramatizes the creation of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project, and the bombing of Japan. The technical details of atomic processes and the bomb's design are wildly inaccurate, by intention; these details were highly classified and the true nature of the weapon could not even be hinted at. A number of experts from Oak Ridge and Los Alamos acted as technical advisors: DR. H.T. Wensel, DR. Edward R. Tompkins — Oak Ridge, Tennessee, DR. David Hawkins — Los Alamos, New Mexico, W. Bradford Shank— Los Alamos, New Mexico. Military Technical Advisors included: William A. Consodine, COL. — Manhattan Project, Charles W. Sweeny, Lt. Col. A.C. (piloted 2nd atomic attack on Japan).
The film was remarkably free of pro-nuclear propaganda, but was rooted in the idea that building and using the bomb was a necessary evil.
Hume Cronyn later played Secretary of State James F. Byrnes in Day One, another film about the Manhattan Project.
[edit] References
http://www.atomicbombcinema.com/english/image_gallery/beginning/begin_end_18.htm
